Just as "What's Goin' On" stands for political and social commitment, religious and environmental themes, so does "Let's Get It On" stand for love, even sex. This abrupt transition, this change of direction can be understood if we consider that between 1971's "What's Goin' On" and 1973's "Let's Get It On," a lot had happened. Two things, in particular, matter to us: funk music had firmly established itself and was enjoying its peak during that period. Therefore, the ethereal and psychedelic soul of Marvin Gaye's recognized masterpiece evolved into a more pronounced and aggressive sound. Moreover, in 1973 Marvin fell in love with Janis Hunter and thus left his first wife Anna Gordy. Hence, Marvin felt the need to abandon civil commitment and talk about what was then his life: love. This transition is also emblematic of the thematic difference between the '60s and '70s, because "What's Goin' On," despite being from '71, is a fully '60s album in terms of lyrics and partly its sound, while its successor "Let's Get It On" is a classic '70s funk/soul album.
If earlier I stated that the sound became more aggressive, I do not mean that Gaye started playing P-Funk like Parliament-Funkadelic. His sounds are still soul (and they would be until the last album), but they acquire rhythms and situations someone later defined as "sweet funk." The new dimension of Marvin Gaye is explained in a passage from the title track: "Givin' yourself to me, can never be wrong, if the love is true," Thus is the album, simple, clear but not vulgar, always passionate and never violent. And, listening to this phrase and the entire album in general, a smile can't help but emerge on the face, as you enter the vibration, the groove, a new world. "Let's Get It On" obviously stands out not only for the title track, but all the songs are of great caliber, and "Please Stay (Once You Go Away)" and "You Sure Love To Ball", or even "Keep Gettin' It On", some sort of reprise of the title track, or the sweet "Distant Lover" must certainly be mentioned. But above all, the concluding "Just To Keep You Satisfied" must be cited. To make a perhaps slightly bold comparison, "Desolation Row" is Bob Dylan's last acoustic wink to close the electric "Highway 61 Revisited" just as "Just To Keep You Satisfied" is the last call to that more mellifluous and fluid sound that characterized "What's Goin' On" and is placed at the end of a record, as already said, with more aggressive sounds. What differentiates the last track from the previous seven is also the dedication: the entire album is written and designed for the new love Janis Hunter, while the last track is dedicated to the past, to Anna Gordy, a farewell in music, a sentimental goodbye to say, with serenity "It's too late for you and I, much too late for you to cry...". Very simple words to encapsulate an almost intangible feeling: the change underway. Those words give chills, felt after more than half an hour of high-content winks and mischievous smiles. The entire "Let's Get It On" depicts the change, is the emblem of change, in Marvin Gaye's life, in African American music, in his music. And it is a masterpiece.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Let's Get It On (04:51)
I've been really tryin', baby
Tryin' to hold back this feelin' for so long
And if you feel like I feel, baby
Then come on, oh come on
Let's get it on, ah baby
Let's get it on, let's love, baby
Let's get it on, sugar
Let's get it on, whoo-ooh-ooh
We're all sensitive people
With so much to give, understanding, sugar
Since we got to be
Let's live, I love you
There's nothing wrong with me
Lovin' you, baby no no
And givin' yourself to me could never be wrong
If the love is true, oh baby
Don't you know how sweet and wonderful
Life can be?
I'm asking you baby
To get it on with me
I ain't gonna worry
I ain't gonna push, I won't push you baby
So come on, come on, come on, come on, come on baby
Stop beatin' 'round the bush
Let's get it on
Let's get it on, you know what I'm talkin' about
Come on baby, hey hey, let your love come out
If you believe in love,
Let's get it on, let's get it on, baby
This minute, oh yeah
Let's get it on, please,
Please get it on
I know that you know what I've been dreaming of
Don't you baby?
My whole body wants the feeling of love,
Ah help me!
I ain't gonna worry,
No I ain't gonna push, I won't push you baby
So come on, come on, come on, come on, come on darlin'
Stop beatin' 'round the bush
Oh, gonna get it on, threatening you, baby
I want to get it on, you don't have to worry that it's wrong
If the spirit moves you, let me groove you
Good, let your love come down, oh, get it on,
Come on baby, do you know the meaning of being sanctified?
Ah...
Girl, you give me good feelings, so good, something like sanctifying
Oh, do right baby.
Nothing wrong with love, if you wanna love me baby,
Just let yourself go, oh, baby, let's get it on
03 If I Should Die Tonight (04:00)
Oh, If I should die tonight
Oh baby, it would be far before my time
I won't die blue, sugar yeah
'Cause I've known you
Oooh, oh, how many eyes
Have seen their dream
Oh, how many arms
Have felt their dream
How many hearts, baby...
Have felt their world stand still
Millions never, they never never
And millions never will baby
They never will
If I should die tonight love
Darlin', it would be far before my time
I won't die blue
'Cause I've known you
Oooh, oh, I'm thankful that you're lovin' me
My one desire
Is to love you 'til
I'm no longer here and never tire
You always been so good to me
I'm so thankful
Oooh, oh, how many eyes
Have seen their dream
How many arms
Have felt their dream
How many hearts, oh darlin'
Have felt their world stand still
Oh Lord!
Millions never, no, never
And millions never will, sugar
They never will
If I should die tonight, ahhh baby
I just want you to keep this thought in mind
That I would never die blue...
'Cause I've known you
Oooh!!
06 Distant Lover (04:16)
You know, when you're in love and your lover leaves you
And you've got nobody, the lonely hours over here
Sittin' home and thinkin', you say:
Distant Lover, Lover
Ooh ,So many miles away ooh heaven knows that I long for you
Every night,every night and sometimes i yearn through the day.
Distant Lover ! oooh lover you should think about me say a prayer
for me. Please Please baby think about me sometime, think about me yeah.
Hey in Misery, Misery
As i reminisce , ooh baby through our joyful summer together, the promises we made of the daily letter,then all of a sudden everything seemed to explode. Now i gaze out my window sugar down the lonesome road.
Distant lover ooh ooh sugar, how can you treat my heart so mean and cruel, don't you know sugar that every moment that I spent with you i treasured it like it was a precious jewel. oooh Baby
LORD HAVE MERCY!
OOH BABY DON'T GO, PLEASE COME BACK BABY.
SOMETHING I WANNA SAY , WHEN YOU LEFT YOU TOOK ALL OF ME WITH YOU NOW LORD I WONDER DO YOU WANNA HEAR ME SCREAM AND PLEAD.PLEASE, PLEASE COME BACK HOME GIRL ,PLEASE BABY COME BACK HOME.
Oh baby, don't go
Please come back, baby
Ooo, something I wanna say
When you left to go away
No 'ther do I want, do you wanna have me plead and scream
Please! Please, oh please baby
Come back home, girl
Oh baby, come back
Oh oh
08 Just to Keep You Satisfied (04:27)
You were my wife, my life, my hopes and dreams
For you to understand what this means, I shall explain
I stood all the jealousy, all the bitchin' too
Yes, I'd forget it all once in bed with you
Ooo darling how could we end up like this?
Oh baby let me reminisce
Oh and when we, woo, stopped the hands of time
You set my soul on fire, my one desire
Was to love you and think of you with pride
And keep you satisfied, oh baby oh baby
We could not bear the mental strain
Leave you, I laugh at men too
Now you see how much you hurt me
But if you ever need me, I'll be by your side
Though the many happy times we had
Can never really outweigh the bad
Oh I'll never love nobody like I loved you baby
It's time for us to say farewell, farewell my darlin'
Maybe we'll meet down the line
It's too late for you and me, it's too late for you and I
Much too late for you to cry
It's too late for you and me, much too late for you and I
It's too late for you and me, much too late for you to cry baby
Ah we tried, God knows we tried
Now it's too late to live and love and ah it's too late baby
It's too late for you and me, much too late for you to cry
Oh oh ohhh it's much too late
Well, all we can do is, we can both try to be happy
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